Apr. 14, 2016, 12:57 p.m.

Emily Blunt in "The Girl on the Train." (Barry Wetcher / Universal Pictures)

There has been some grumbling among industry folks who traveled to CinemaCon this year that studios aren’t really showing anything new. In an age when fans clamor for teasers and trailers to debut earlier and earlier online, Hollywood has started giving sneak peeks of their films many months -- and sometimes years -- in advance of a movie’s release.

That wasn’t the case with Universal Pictures, whose chairwoman, Donna Langley, told the crowd of movie theater owners gathered here Wednesday that all material the studio would be sharing was “created specifically for CinemaCon.”

A majority of that material involved the studio’s animated slate, but Universal also gave conference-goers a first glimpse at some of its most anticipated live-action releases, including "The Girl on the Train," "Warcraft" and "Jason Bourne."

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Apr. 14, 2016, 12:14 p.m.

James Cameron hasn’t made a public appearance here since 2011, as he’s been off working on his long-awaited “Avatar” sequels. Though he’d previously announced three sequels to his 2009 smash hit, Cameron explained that he’s now planning on making four sequels instead.

Universal Pictures devoted at least half of its two-hour presentation this Wednesday at the Las Vegas CinemaCon convention to its animation slate, putting a large emphasis on the profitable "Despicable Me" franchise and hanging its hopes on a"Grinch" reboot.

The biggest news? Benedict Cumberbatch, who is currently in production on Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” will voice the Grinch in an adaptation of 2000’s live-action “How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Apr. 14, 2016, 9:52 a.m.

There's a lot of interest these days in whether millennials will be as interested in going to movie theaters as baby boomers have been, says Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Entertainment. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images)

Adam Aron was, until recently, running Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Just three months ago, he became chief executive of cinema giant AMC Entertainment, catapulting him into one of the top positions in the movie business.

The Los Angeles Times spoke to Aron, 61, at the CinemaCon film industry conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas about various topics, including digital shifts in entertainment and how to bring millennials back to theaters. He also weighed in on the touchiest subject of the week: Napster co-founder Sean Parker's plan to offer movies on demand as soon as they hit theaters for $50 each.

At the end of Disney's CinemaCon presentation, featuring a trailer for Marvel's "Doctor Strange" and footage from Pixar's "Finding Dory," studio distribution chief Dave Hollis delivered a reassuring message to cinema owners in Las Vegas.

"Our commitment to the theatrical window has never, ever been stronger," Hollis told exhibitors at the Caesars Palace Colosseum on Wednesday morning before screening the company's "Captain America: Civil War."

Protecting the exclusive window — the traditional gap between a movie's theatrical release and when it becomes available on home video — is a recurring theme at the annual film industry conference. But this year, the topic has dominated the conversation, with the emergence of Sean Parker's proposed video-on-demand startup, Screening Room.

It wasn't all Disney, but their presentation certainly made it seem like it. And that $4 billion that they spent to purchase Marvel? When you look at their cumulative box office, it seems like that was money well spent. Next Up: "Captain America: Civil War" and "Doctor Strange."

Elizabeth Banks will helm a revival of the "Charlie's Angels" franchise. The news was confirmed during Sony's presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Banks' profile as a director has catapulted since the commercial success of the girl power a cappella flick "Pitch Perfect 2" -- which grossed over $184 million domestically last year. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she spoke about the increase in opportunities that have come her way since.

Apr. 13, 2016, 12:17 p.m.

In a behind-the-scenes interview at CinemaCon, Margot Robbie confirmed that most of the character's origin story roots are still in place, and that Harley Quinn uses her past to manipulate the rest of the pack of villains that were all drafted into the "Suicide Squad."

"She's definitely one of the more unpredictable members of the squad," Robbie said.

"She also used to be a psychiatrist, so she has an extensive knowledge of mental illnesses and how to manipulate people. I'm sorry, well, she has a lot of knowledge on how to profile people, pick their triggers and as Harley Quinn, she kind of utilizes that to just manipulate people and mess with them. And she definitely does that with the squad. She's always picking someone to be dissecting and playing off and messing with."